Sewing Machine Drawer Kitchen Organizer

It’s the second Wednesday of the month, which means I’ve been working on another project for a “Thrifty Chicks Challenge”! (You can check out last month’s challenge with a chair theme in my post, “Leg-O-Matic Chair Refresh”) This month this talented group of DIY ladies and I challenged ourselves to a “kitchen” theme.

I have all the links to their creative projects at the end of this post. Make sure you check them out!

Another junker or the homeowner had obviously realized there were many creative styling ideas for the drawers themselves; hang them on the wall, place jars in them for a centerpiece…there’s ideas all over Pinterest. But, I guess they thought the drawer skeleton was beyond creativity. That’s when I love a challenge!

I had piled the drawer skeleton on top of a few bins in the basement, and had haphazardly stood it up, like in the top photo. Guess that’s why my brain was leaning towards using it in the “standing” position. And it’s so much more fun to create something completely opposite of how it was originally used, right??

The bottom and the sides would need to be closed with something to create spaces on the inside. Yardsticks are a DIY’ers best friend, and I luckily still have a leftover stash from the store (and still pick them up whenever I find them).

Mr. Fix-it and I talked over the plan. I’m the designer and finisher, he’s the engineer and carpenter. And the partnership is going much more smoothly now that we don’t have the stress of filling a store…just sayin’.

He was going to put a board across the whole bottom, and I said I think we need to put the squares between each section, so the new board will not be seen when it’s finished. He cut the squares to perfectly fit, accounting for the width of the rulers to wedge in on either side…you’ll see that soon.

Then I sanded it all to smooth off the rough edges and give a little more character.

While I was sanding, he was cutting yardsticks to size to fit in the ends and the sides.

Because we wanted them to perfectly fit into the grooves that are already there. He pushed the yardstick flush left into the groove and then cut it only slightly wider, in order to get them in. He also notched a couple in case that would help get them in. The last row needed to be smaller, obviously, so he cut it lengthwise to fit.

We put the yardstick sections in either end first, because we knew it might be tricky. He nailed them in with small nails, but I think gluing them in with wood glue would work just fine too. We just need instant gratification around here…no time for glue drying!

Then we cut the yardsticks in 12″ sections for the sides. I wanted one side to be colorful and the other to be subdued. We spaced the yardstick sections evenly, with small spaces between each. He clamped them so they wouldn’t move while he nailed them in. He did use his pneumatic nailer, btw.

Looking a little Swedish, don’t ya think? You bet ya…I live in MN!

Here’s the junk lover’s classic side:

Here’s the Scandinavian cabin side:

But of course, this cutie needs to get a finishing coat of poly brushed on it and get some finishing touches of junky bling for usefulness at either end.

And remember…this project is meant to be used in the kitchen for our Thrifty Chicks challenge…

So I put an old clip at one end and an old insulator at the other and filled the tall spaces perfectly with tinfoil, cling wrap and long cooking utensils! It’s a one-stop-shop kitchen organizer! Perfect for the cabin, RV, or even out by the grill!

But for now, I think I’ll enjoy it right next to my stove and mixer…

Do you have any other kitchen-y ideas of what I should put in here? Would love to hear!

Make sure you Pin this project, and check out all the other Thrifty Chicks’ kitchen projects below. I’ve created a collage with everyone’s “Befores”…

Lora, this is fantastic – perhaps the most clever thing I’ve seen all month! I’m looking forward to checking out more of your projects. Of course, it did bring up an old sore point with me – how I wish I had thought to lay claim to my grandmother’s sewing machine when she died. NO one kept it! And no one thought to ask young me who was learning to sew.

Thanks for your sweet compliments, Jean! And I’m so sorry for your family’s oversight. Years ago, my Grandpa took their wedding Noritake china to a resale shop. My grandma had packed & repacked that China in at least 20 house moves! I luckily heard about the clearing out in time, and my grandpa lovingly retrieved them for his vintage-loving 1st grandchild!I treasure that set:)

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Hi there! I'm Lora, and I love inspiring and encouraging others to live creatively! I've been hunting down junky, vintage treasures for most of my life, which has led me on many adventures through the years…

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